Chapter 1

Rowan, a 21-year-old young man, walked into the small kitchen and up to the fridge. His bright red hair was cut short. He narrowed his green eyes as he stepped up to the fridge.

"Hiya, sis," he said as he reached for a bottle of orange juice. A young woman who looked exactly like him except for her collar-length hair sat at the round, wooden table.

"Hi there," Amber said, glancing up from her breakfast and smiling.

"Is your dance instructor still accepting students?" Rowan asked, sitting down across from her.

"Are you still interested in the class?" the redhead asked.

"Yes," Rowan said, nodding his head.

"I am not sure," she said. "I can ask him though," Amber said, taking a bite of her scrambled eggs.

"Thanks a bunch," Rowan said, smiling and taking a swig of his drink.

Rowan pulled a phone from his pants' back pocket and glanced at it when he felt it vibrate. He sighed loudly and laid it face down on the table.

"Was it Drago again?" Amber asked.

"Yeah," Rowan said, nodding his head.

"Why don't you talk to him?" she asked.

"I'll talk to him once he stops wanting sex when he's drunk," he said. "He hurt me last time,"

"Are you thinking of ending things with him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Rowan admitted. "If he won't stop getting drunk, I'll have to," he said, sighing sadly.

The twins glanced up from their plates when the kitchen door opened. Damon, their older brother, stepped inside wearing a bright red long-sleeve sweater and navy blue slacks.

"Good morning," he said, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Morning, big brother," the twins each said.

"Rowan, can you help at the cafe this morning?" Damon asked, sitting down at the table. "We're shorthanded," he said.

"Sure," Rowan said, nodding his head.

Damon and Rowan scooted away from the table and stood up. "Amber, if you get the chance to talk to your instructor about the class, message me what you find out," Rowan said.

"Okay," she said. "Don't worry because you've got natural talent," their sister said. The two brothers left for their family's cafe, and Amber left for dance class shortly after. It was 7:30am when Damon and Rowan arrived at Dine N Relax Cafe, three of their employees were already in the employee lounge checking in.

Clarissa Martin, 22, turned her head and smiled at Rowan. Eric, her brother, stepped up beside her. They could have been twins, but Eric was an inch taller and wore his blonde hair really short.

"Hello there!" Clarissa said so cheerfully.

"Hi there," Rowan said, smiling back. "I heard we're down one person," he explained.

"Jerome is home sick with a cold," a tall, blonde young woman said.

"I'll work for him," Rowan said, punching in and grabbing an apron and a notepad.

The four of them took turns tending to customers when people started showing up. Around noon, the front door opened, and a familiar face appeared. Rowan saw who it was and shook his head. "I can't deal with him right now," Rowan mentally told himself. "Clarissa, can you take care of table number one?" he asked, turning around and facing his best friend.

"Sure," she said, noticing who had arrived.

"Thanks," Rowan said. Rowan felt eyes on him when he left to go into the lounge.

Rowan entered the lounge, got a glass, and filled it with water. He took a deep breath, sat down at the table, and took a sip. The door opened five minutes later, and Damon walked in.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You looked out of sorts when I saw you come back here," Damon said.

"I am now," Rowan said. "I just didn't feel like facing Drago," he said. "If I did, I'd get nothing done," he stated.

"Do you want me to ask him to leave?" Damon asked.

"No, I'll talk with him when I'm ready," Rowan said, shaking his head.

Rowan entered the main area after washing his face and taking several deep breaths. He noticed that the first table was still occupied by Drago. He stared straight ahead as he walked past the first table and stopped at the next one. Rowan took the customer's orders and walked over to the counter. He handed the sheet of paper to the cook and turned away. Five minutes turned into ten, and ten minutes turned into twenty. Rowan stepped toward a table but stopped when a hand grabbed his arm.

Rowan turned around and faced its owner. "We need to talk," Drago said.

"Please remove your hand," Rowan commanded. "I'm busy," he said.

"Can we talk when you get off?" Drago asked.

"No," Rowan said sternly.

"Do we have a problem here?" Damon asked, stepping up to them.

"No, I'll be going now," Drago said, removing his hand from Rowan's arm.

Rowan inhaled deeply and then exhaled slowly to calm his nerves. He turned towards the customers and said, "Sorry for keeping you waiting." "May I take your order?" he asked.

"It's alright," said a young woman. Rowan took their order and walked over to the counter. He handed the paper to the cook and let out a shaky breath. A hand touched his shoulder, and he turned around.

"You're trembling," Clarissa said. "Go and sit down," she said. "We can handle the orders," his friend said.

The instant Rowan stepped inside the employee lounge; he sat in a chair and covered his face. Tears flowed down his cheeks. "Did he hurt you?" Damon asked upon entering the room. Rowan rolled up his shirt sleeve and found a bruise where Drago's fingers had been. "Clock out," Damon said. "I'm taking you home," he said. Rowan clocked out while Damon told Clarissa that he was taking him home.

"We'll be fine," she said. "Take care of your brother,"

"I'll be back before the dinner shift starts," Damon said.

Rowan was shaking like a leaf when they got home. "I'll get you a glass of water," Damon said when they entered Rowan's bedroom. Rowan let out a shaky breath and sat down on his bed. Hot tears brimmed his emerald-green eyes. Damon left the bedroom and returned with a clear glass. "Drink slowly," Damon said, putting the cup in Rowan's shaking hands. Rowan brought the cup to his lips and took several slow sips. He handed the cup back to his older brother and sniffled.

"I'm sorry." "He upset me," Rowan apologized.

"It's alright," Damon said, sitting down next to him.

Rowan finally fell asleep an hour later. Damon covered him up and went downstairs. He took a notepad from a drawer and scribbled Rowan a note. He grabbed his car keys and exited the house. Damon drove back to the cafe and headed to his office. He picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello," a female voice said on the other end.

"Amber, it's me," Damon said.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Rowan's boyfriend showed up at the cafe and caused some trouble," Damon said. "It upset Rowan, so I took him home," he explained.

There was a pause on the other end. "I had a bad feeling all day," Amber said. "Class just ended," she said. "I'm on my way."

"When you get home, lock the doors," Damon said.

"Do you think he'll show up at our house?" Amber asked.

"I sure hope not, but let's be safe rather than sorry," he said. Damon hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair.

Amber arrived back at home and locked every door. She made sure that no one could see through the blinds or window shades. Being worried for her brother, Amber went to his bedroom to check on him. She quietly opened the door and peeked inside. She sighed in relief to find Rowan sound asleep. As she closed Rowan's door, she whispered, "Little brother, if he comes here, I'll protect you,"